


The Witch Next Door

by scurvaliciousbay



Series: Miscellaneous Caserole Fics [3]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Caserole - Freeform, Neighbor Witch AU, Other, Single Parents, Witches, and they were neighbors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-19 14:44:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17003646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scurvaliciousbay/pseuds/scurvaliciousbay
Summary: Kassaran is a witch and proudly owns a small bookstore. She lives above the store with her small daughter, Ash. One day, someone purchases the storefront and apartment next to Kass's own shop and apartment.





	The Witch Next Door

**Author's Note:**

> Melarue belongs to circadian_rythm

There is a shop on a street in Wycome. It’s a nice street, lined with well-kept white flowering trees. There are pools of petals under the trees, decorating the grey stones of the sidewalks. The shop is nestled in a with the rest of the old brown rowhouses. A small sign hangs outside of the shop declaring it to the world.

OLDE BOOKS FOR OLDER SOULS est. REJ. 16:78

Not many know of the store, but those who do swear by it. The shopkeeper can procure almost any book, they say. They review her store on google and yelp and get her recognition, which makes her happy. It means that she can provide a well-kept home for her child, and even slide some money towards her coven when they need.

The shop mostly caters to the local witch community, but non-witches are of course welcome. If they weren’t, she wouldn’t be doing so well.

Kassaran lives above the shop in an equally nice two-bedroom apartment. It’s old but kept in good condition. The wood trim is pristine, the tile in the entry way is clean, uncracked – even the clawfoot tub is polished and in good order. It’s the nicest place she’s lived in, and it’s  _hers_. Hers and Ashokara’s, of course.

Every morning, she wakes, makes breakfast, rouses her daughter, and helps her ready for the school day. She then walks Ash to her school, only two blocks away. It’s run by another in the coven, but it’s not limited to just those in the coven. It generally caters to all the witch children within a ten-block radius. Witch children tend to need specific instruction, especially when their powers start making themselves known, and that age tends to vary. Ash hasn’t showed any signs yet, but Kass knows it’s coming. Her father may not have been a witch, but Kass can see inside of Ash, slowly uncoiling, getting ready to bloom.

Normally, after she drops Ash off at school, she returns to the shop, stocks it, and opens it up. Estelle doesn’t come by until later to help with the afternoon crowd, right when Kass has to be a mom and help Ash after school.

It’s just a regular day. Until she steps down the stoop with Ash in toe only to see main door to the building next hers open. There is a U-Haul parked on the street, back doors flung open.

“Kitty!” Ash declares happily, pointing up to the cat sitting on the top of the railing by the door. The cat turns its head towards Ash. Kass swears the creature smiles before letting out a friendly chirp of a meow.

“Yes, that’s a kitty, a very pretty kitty. Okay, say bye to the kitty! Bye, kitty!” Kass says, trying to hurry Ash along.

Ash waves, “Bye-bye, kitty!” She lets Kass direct her down the steps, and they’re off to school.

They thankfully make it by a slim two-minute margin, but not late is not late. When Kass returns to her shop and home, the cat is still outside, sitting happily on the railing. Kass arches a brow at the cat before walking inside her shop, ready to start her day.

First, she has to stock the shipments that came yesterday. It’s regular stock, which means it goes on the shelves. Irregular stock, meaning banned and magical books are kept in the basement level, and that’s only open to the coven and a select few other customers who meet her requirements. The door to the basement is warded heavily from any would be intruders.

The shop opens at nine, and is open until seven, eight for the witches.

She is halfway through stocking the shop when the ceiling rattles above her. The wall shakes, and she can hear the moving of heavy furniture. It reminds her that she needs to boost her soundproofing charms. She is just about to ignore it when one of the keys on her ward board starts to glow blue. Foreign magic but not hostile magic, and the key indicates that it’s close. The thumps become more rhythmic and Kass can guess what is happening.

She still has fifteen minutes until the store is supposed to open, so she heads over to the building next to hers. It’s an old flower shop, long abandoned since its previous owner was ousted by a coven in the city. Not Kass’s coven, they’re not interested in the investigation of magic, they’re more of a self-policing group. The lettering on the glass is still there, though.

GLASS STREET FLOWERS est. REJ. 16:22

The doors are open, and the cat is still there, now watching Kass closely with its sharp steel blue eyes. That is no ordinary cat. It’s not a familiar either.

Before she can question the cat, however, a heavily pregnant elf appears in the door. They appear winded after climbing down the stairs and before she can think it through, she’s stepping down her stoop.

“Hello! You must be a new neighbor. Would you like any help moving things in? Those stairs can be quite the pain.”

They stop in the doorway, tall and elegant, even with what looks to be a late pregnancy belly.

“I have it handled,” they reply in a smooth voice. They step down the stoop and go to the truck. The cat follows them on the railing, still watching Kass.

“It’s really no trouble. When I was pregnant with my daughter, moving up those stairs was horrific.” She approaches the van and moves to help them with what looks to be a heavy desk.

They turn and levy a sharp gaze at her.

“I have it handled,” they say, more stern. Kass nods and takes a step back.

“Alright, I don’t mean to step on your toes. If you need help, I’m next door. I own and operate the bookstore.” She drops her voice low, “I also cater to special, like-created people, understand?”

They watch her for a moment then nod.

“Okay, then, um, I’m Kass, by the way. Welcome.” She waves and heads back into her store. She needs to finish stocking and then open.

After she stocks the shelves, Kass flips the sign on the door and waits for the customers. Ten minutes later the bell rings and in walks a familiar elf.

“Welcome to Olde Books! Let me know if I can help you find anything,” she says cheerfully. They wander the store before walking up to the counter.

“You can call me Melarue, and I…would like to take you up on your offer, if it still stands.” They keep their eyes averted and voice low, though she wonders if the low voice is just out of habit. Witches, especially lone witches, do all sorts of things to keep a low profile, even in cities with a low Templar presence.

Kass nods and walks out from around the counter, “Yes, it does.” She gestures for them to follow her in the stock room in the back. “I have to move heavy boxes a lot, comes with owning the store. I have this crème I made, it helps with strength.” Kass pops open a drawer in the desk she keeps back there, removing the crème from inside. It isn’t the best smelling crème, but it’s not offensive either as she slathers it over her hands and forearms. She offers the crème to Melarue who runs a few safety incantations over it.

It’s not insulting, she expects it, really. Witches need to be careful, particularly pregnant ones. After their spells come up with negative on anything harmful, they lather the lotion into their hands and arms, just as Kass had done.

Together they walk back to Melarue’s van. Kass does most of the lifting, maneuvering the heavy desk out of the van and up into their new apartment. It’s identical to hers, the same two bedrooms, the same bathroom, same everything. The wood floors are in slightly better condition, though, fewer scratches. That will probably change after they have their baby and the little nugget starts walking.

“Where do you want it?” She asks.

They wave to the second bedroom but before she can put it there, they stop her, “Wait, no, that’s the baby’s room. The other bedroom, please.”

She heads into the room, plops the desk down, then moves it into where she has her desk. It maximizes space, she’s redone her room for space three times, and the current configuration is the best one.

“It’s alright, it didn’t really sink in that I was having a baby until labor.” It’s so strange to be in the sparse version of her apartment, what a vision to see it free of toys and clothes and the various plants she keeps. Her apartment was like this, once, when she first moved in. She was in her second trimester, alone, but blessedly free.

Shokrakar had found the building for her, had put in a loan for both the shop and the apartment. It took Kass a couple years to pay her back, but she eventually did. Now the apartment and shop are completely hers, she’s  _truly_  free. Though by the time she paid the coven back, she didn’t want to leave.

Melarue has managed to buy it all by themselves. That’s commendable. But she knows what it’s like to be pregnant, alone, and in a new place.

“I didn’t know what I was going to name my daughter until I had her in my arms and the name just came to me,” she continues. They watch her, brow arched in a calculating thinly veiled nervous manner.

“I asked you to help me move in, I don’t need the lecture.”

They are worried and defensive and Kass gets it. It’s why she doesn’t take it personally.

“Alright, um. I need to get back to my store, but I have an assistant coming in around one, I can help you some more around then, does that work for you?” She keeps her tone light and easy, sweet. She’ll call Shokrakar later, tell her about the newcomer.

“That’s fine. Thank you for the desk.” They shout her out and she waves as she heads aback over to the shop. There are a couple people in there and she greets them before helping with their purchases.

Melarue. An uncommon name for the Free Marches. For anywhere, she guesses. Then again, many witches have unusual names, many choose new names. Some places have more Templars than others and changing names can help cut the connecting string between incidents in different cities.

The cat isn’t their familiar, but still concerning. She’ll have to tell them to make sure the cat and Kass’s familiar don’t get into a weird territory thing. Duul isn’t an aggressive rabbit, but she can be…difficult. Such is Luck.

Kass manages the store until Estelle arrives. She’s a nice girl, new to the coven. High school drop out turned runaway turned now back at school where she’s safe from the people who hurt her.

“Watch the shop for me? We have a new neighbor and I promised them I’d help out.”

Estelle shrugs, munching on her carrot sticks, “Sure. No one comes in except Smelly George ‘round this time anyways.”

“Good, good – his sandwich is in the kitchen by the way,” she says before heading out to go help Melarue. She finds them upstairs, trying to lug what must be a forty-pound box into the kitchen. She bends down and hauls it up, letting them fall back on their butt and lean against the wall for support.

“You know if you do too much you could make yourself go into early labor.”

“I don’t need the lecture,” they snap. Kass turns to them, eyebrows raised.

“My apologies, just trying to help,” she says. She sets the box down in the kitchen and begins to unpack the cauldron set. Witches need more than one big cauldron, the big one, the one that goes into a fireplace, is only used for potions that either need that many ingredients or a potion that will have many imbibers. Smaller pots with engravings are usually more practical for the lone witch. Kass sets them in a lower cabinet. They’re heavy and it’s better to lift a heavy object up than try to safely maneuver it down, especially when pregnant.

She heads back out and down the stairs to the truck. There’s an old table covered with runes, but that’s it. No other furniture, which means that they don’t have a bed or a sofa or a crib. Kass frowns and lugs the deceptively heavy table up the stairs.

“Where do you want this?”

They gesture to the kitchen, “Under the window, please.” She does as they request and returns to them.

“Do…do you need a bed or a crib? I can make a few calls –

“No,” they shake their head, “There’s a truck coming with furniture I ordered. Thank you for the offer, though.”

“Good, good, feel free to come get me when they come, I can help –

“I paid for them to move it, it is no trouble.”

Kass can hear the brush off. She gets it. Accepting help, especially when you’re used to being alone is not easy. Terrifying even.

“I’m here if you need anything,” she says. Whether they take the offer or not is up to them, but something tells her that they’ll take it. Eventually, on their own time, not when they’re feeling too bad about it or too cautious.

She leaves them to their apartment, checks in with Estelle, then goes to pick Ash up from school.

When they come back, Melarue’s cat is on the railing again.

“Hi, kitty!” Ash waves.

The cat mrows back at her. A new witch in the neighborhood, what a delightful surprise.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
